Amusement or game device



Feb 31 9 192"? A. PRINS AMUSEMENT OR GAME DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 03 14, 1925 wmz Feb 19 192? A. PRINS AMUSEMENT OR GAME DEVICE Filed Oct. 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/VEli/TOR flnion Pra'ns I By A ATTORNEYS Patente Feb- 1. 1921.

UNlTE-DfSTAT E S ANTON E PBIN'S, OF SUBAIBAYA, JAVA.

mosamanr on. name nnvrcn.

Application illed October i4. 1925. Serial No. 62,833.

This invention relates to amusement or game devices and one of its objects is 'to provide an apparatus of a nature requiring a certain amount of skill in operation and. adapted for playing games either by an mdi-vidua'l or by a plurality of individuals la in competitively. ll the illustrated embodiment of the invention the main board carries a tray of suitable material, such as non-magnetic material, capable of holding a certain depth of water to float objects, such as small boats,

containim magnetic material and thereby adaplted fbr actuation from one side or end of t e tray to the opposite side or end by the energization in succession ofsuitably.

arranged electro-magnets immediately beneath the bottom of the tray. Indications on the 'bottom of the tra designate points or stations at opposite en s of the tray, each of which is the starting point of a boat travelling in one direction and the destination of a boat travelling in the opposite direction. The bot-tom of the tray is also marked with two symmetrically arranged branched paths one to be followed by a boat going in one direction and the other to be followed by a boat moving in the opposite direction. At regular-intervals along such paths there are points designated by suitable symbols to indicate the posit-ion of the'electro-magnets beneath the tray. For

controlling such magnets rovision is made at each end of the board 0 an array of contacts, in the general form of a key-board. These contacts are designated by symbols corresponding to those on the'bottom of the tray and the electrical connections are such that a player at one end of the board may energize any ma net in the branched path leading to the ot er end of the tray by applying a contact at the end of a flexible conductor to the contact for the symbol corresponding to the magnet to be energized, and located in the adjacent array or contact board of fixed contacts.

- be energized at will by aplayer at the op- The electromagnets along the other branched path may rapidly. as ssible, subject to the rules of the game w ich may require certain paths to be followed. In the event that two ersons are playin the boats are starte at om opposite ends of the the same time board and each of the players endeavors to cause his boat to reach its destination before that of his opponent. I

Qther objects and advantages will hereinafter ap ear. In the rawings- Fig.1 is a plan view of the apparatus, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section 'on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3' is a schematic diagram of electric circuits to control the magnets.

The apparatus comprises a main element or board 1 comprising a frame 2 preferably of wood and cut away at its center to receive a tray 3 and at the ends to accommodate contact boards 4 and 5 respectively, the term contact board being used in analogy to the term key-board as used for other, forms of apparatus. The tray 3 is formed preferably of a sheet of waterproof material arranged to comprise a bead formed of a coil of the material extending around the edge of the tray and of suflicient height to confine liquid, such as water, poured into the' tray. As shown in Fig. 2, portions of the sheet of water-proof material extend beneath frame 2 and between the same and a support 6.

As shown in Fig. 1, the tray 3 is provided in its lower left hand corner with a harbor or port 7 and at the upper right hand corner with a harbor or port 8, the port 7 being the home port of a red boat 9 and the hostile port of a blue boat 10 and the port 8 being the home port of the blue boat 10 and the hostile port for the red boat 9. Marked on the bottom of the tray are red stations arranged at substantially regular intervals in branched paths leading from the station in the lower left hand corner of Fig. 1 to the upper right hand corner, and blue stations .arranged at substantially regular intervals in branched paths leading from the station in the upper right hand corner (Fig. 1) to the station in the lower left hand corner.

Looking at the board from the left band (Fig. 1) the red stations along one path are numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and the blue station in the upper right hand corner is numbered 8. Following another path from the red station 1 we find the stations. numbered A, B, C, D, E, F, the station Fbein comparatively near thj? red i station 6 an v .is made of red stations V, VI,

' blue station No. 8' as looked at also the red station 5; Startin fromthe red station 4 along another pat revision latter station being comparatively near the from the oppg site end of the board.

okmg at the board from th e right hand end (Fig. 1) the. board is marked with blue stations arranged at substantially uniform intervals along branched paths leading from the blue station 1 corresponding to red statioii 8 and extending to the red station 1 which would correspond to blue station 8.

The blue stations are numbered correspondingly to the red stations and the two sets of stations are arranged stymmetrically on the bottom of the tray. t will also be seen that certain parts of the-paths havin red stations intersect certain branches 0 the paths having blue stations.

Mounted beneath each station is an electro-magnet 11,1,the electro-magnets under the red stations being energize from the e contact board 4 and the electro-ma'gnets tact board for reasonsvto 'be being designated under the blue stations being energized from the contact board 5. With the exceptioniof the electro-magnets for the terminal stations common to both redand blue paths, each electro-magnet can be energized from only one of the contact boardsfthe electro-magnets corresponding to the terminal stations may, however, be energized from either con a, 'set forth more fully hereinafter.- 'f 1 As shown in Fig. 1, the red contact board has'two rows of-contacts, those in one row A,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and those of the ot er row-bein desi ated respectively b333, G, D,-.E, F, V VII.

The contact rd 5 has a corresponding set of contacts similarly arranged anddesignated.

The contact board 4 is provided with a.

terminal 12 having a wing nut 13 to facilita the connection therewith of a conductor 14 connected with any suitable source of cur-v rent, such as a battery 15.' It should be understood that the electricalconnections may beof any suitable form or arrangement but forconvenience the system is shown as comprising a conductor 16 connected with the terminal '12 and to which the one end of the coil of each electro-ma at is connected The other end of the coi of each electromagnet corresponding to a red station is connected with a correspondingly designated contact in the red key-board 4 and the other end of the coil of each electro-magnet under a blue station is connected with the cor-' respondingly designated terminal in the blue contact board 5. As indicated in the lower left hand corner and the upper right hand II, the

the branch 18 being provided Y a movable contact 20 to .be

' trolled from the contact boards.

terminal ports have their coils connected with the 1 station of arias, the eal-a ass a the .theadjacent contact board and the 8 contact ofthbppoaitecontact board; Connected with the other terminal of the battery 15 is a conductor 17 having'two branches 18' and' 19 respectively,

at its end with applied to any of the contacts .of the contact board 4 as m 'desired and the branchi9 being provided with,a contact 21- to be'brpught into engagement at will with anyv one of the contacts of the contact board 5 to energize the corres onding'wlectro-magnet. 7

connection with each game provision is-made .of a suitable transformer for use if necessary between the terminal 12 and the lighting system or other sources of current,

and two magnets, such 'as ordinary horseshoe permanent. magnets for bringing a ship into therange of one of the-ma ets conrovision may also be made of one or more wedges for leveling the apparatus.

" According to one manner-of usi the apparatus,--'each player has on ship or boat and the ob'ect of t e game is for each player to et a s ip out of his own or home port an into the other home port as ra idly as possible. To itionthe ships at t e startmg point eac magnet and keeping it above the ship drawsthe latter into the neighborhood of magnet Ho. 1 adjacent his home port. When a signal is given for starting, the horse-shoe magnets are withdrawn and each player puts the corresponding magnet No. 1 in,

operation. Then by actuation of successive magnets the players cause the correspondg ships to travel asdesired. As iliustrated, there are three difierent ways in whicha ship may be made--to.pass from its plhyer: (a) The way aroundw'hat may be referred player takes his horseshoe own home port to that of the opposing a to as a main loop, which although a long the loops and joins the first path before reaching the final port. The players may agree beforehand whether they are to disturb each other or not.

According to another manner of using the apparatus both parties may play with one an the same ship. After determining who is to begin, the player decided upon tries to go as fast as possible and exclusively between the loops while he opposing party tries to prevent this ad to seize tie ship for navigation by himself. If the opposing party has succeeded in seizing the ship,

he may have the right to go around the loop and when the first party recovers his shi he gets the same right.

bviously the game may other ways if desired.

It will be apparent that numerous diiliculties arise in playing the game satisfactorily. If a ship has gone otf a magnet for a distance greater than its own length, i is almost useless to try to draw it back to that magnet. It is necessary to energize each magnet at the right moment to draw the ship thereto and it is also necessary be played in to deenergize the magnet at the proper mo ment to permit the ship to be drawn to another magnet. The manner in which the ship is directed is also amatter of considerable importance.

It should be understood that the particular forms as disclosed herein of the apparatus and parts thereof are merely illustrative "of the invention and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1

I claim: i

1. An amusement device comprising a play area having thereon indications of separate sets of paths along which magnetic objects are to be raced in generally opposite directions, electro-magnets arranged along said, sets of paths, and' means at opposite ositions wit-hvreference to said play area, or control by said competitors for selectively energizing the elect-ro-magnets arranged along the corresponding sets of paths. v

2. An amusement device comprising a suitable support, a set of electro-magnets immediately beneath the upper surface of said support to determine paths or branches thereof along which a device of magnetic material may be caused to move, a set of contacts at one endof the support, conductors connecting a source of power with each of the magnet coils of which the other ends are connected with the contacts of said set, and means for completing a circuit through each of the -magnet coils comprising a conductor connected with the other terminal of the source of power and a contact on the last mentioned conductor for attaching the contacts of said set as des'red to energize the corresponding elcctro-mag nets.

3. An amusement apparatus comprising a play field having thereon indications of separate paths along which magnetic objects are to be raced in opposite directions by competitors at opposite ends of the field, electro-magnets arranged along said paths,

for selectively energizing the electro-magnets arranged along the corresponding path and the first magnet on the other path.

5. Game apparatus comprising a basin to receive a body of-liquid, floating bodies of magnetic material, sets of electro-magnets beneath the basin and immediately below stations marked on the bottom of the basin and arranged in paths extending across the board in opposite directions, sets of contacts at opposite ends of the basin, and connection between the contacts of each set and the electro-magnets of the corresponding path to enable the corresponding floating body to be moved therealong by completing the circuit through the coils of the corresp'ondifig magnets.

- 6. Game apparatus comprising a basin to receive a body of liquid, floating bodies of magnetic material, sets of electro-magnets beneath the basin and immediately below stations marked on the bottom of the basin and arranged in paths extending across the basin in opposite directions, sets of contacts at opposite ends of the basin, and connection between the contacts of each set and the electro-magnets of the corresponding path to enable the corresponding floating body to be moved therealong by completing the circuit through the coils of the corresponding magnets, each of the single electro-magnets at opposite ends of the basin being energized through one contact of each group. 7.; Game apparatus comprising a basin to receive a shallow body of liquid, floatingbodies of magnetic material, said basin having separate branched paths joining common initial and terminal points which together with points at uniform distances along said paths are marked with identifying symbols, sets of contacts-at opposite ends of the basin and having designations corresponding to the points on said paths and means for moving said floating bodies along said paths comprising electro-magnets beneath said points in the paths and including coils, each having one end connected with a source of power and the other with a corresponding contact in one of said sets for control therethrough. the separatebranched paths being so arranged that each competitor may interfere with the floating body controlled by the other.

8'; Game apparatus comprising a play field, groups of contact devices at opposite III group of contact devices to be energizedtherethrough to move an object of magnetic material from one end to the other, and additional electro-magnets controlled from the other group of contacts to interfere with the action of said object under the control of the firstgroup' of contacts.

9. Game ap aratus comprising a play field, groups 0 contact devices at opposite endshof the play field, electro-rnagnets ar-.

ranged beneath the play field at intervals in "a path extendingfrom one end of the j field to the other and connected with one.

group of contact devices to be energized therethrou h to more an object of magnetic material 'om one end, to the'other, and additional electro-magnets controlled from the other group of contacts to'infiu co the movement of objects of magnetic material over the surface. s

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. I

ANTON PRINVS. 

